Safety helmet



June a, 1947. A, 05m v 2,421,643

SAFETY HELMET Filed July 8, 1944 Patented June 3, 1947 t UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SAFETY HELMET Arnold J. Ostli, Chicago, 111. Application July 8, 1944, Serial No. 544,095

2 Claims.

This invention relates to safety helmets adapted to be worn by persons engaged in an operation in which there is some risk of danger, so as to leave their hands free to perform their operations, and at the same'time to give notice to other persons.

For example, the device is of great advantage to automobilists when a car is stopped for repairs on a road at night, especially an unlighted road. By the use of this device, the repairman has a flashlight attached to his helmet, throwing light where the Work is to be performed, and at the same time, reflecting the lights of any approaching car to give notice to an approaching driver, leaving the users hands free for work.

The advantage of this device will at once be apparent to anyone who has had torepair an automobile on the road at night in fear of approaching fatigued, or somewhat inebriated drivers. The device is also of service in the case of public service repairmen out on the road repairing broken wires at night.

The advantage of such a device in the Ordnance Corps of the Army is evident. The device of my invention comprehends in its preferred form a reflecting safety helmet to reflect the light of approaching vehicles, adapted to be strapped on the head, if desired, together with a flashlight holder and flashlight for throwing light on the work and leaving the hands free to perform the Work.

Further objects and advantages will appear and be brought out more fully in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. l is a side elevation of the device shown applied;

Fig. 2 is a side section of the device;

Fig. 3 is a perspective of the flashlight holder;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the flashlight holder; and

Fig. 5 is a detail of a reflector attachment.

Referring to the drawing in detail, in which I have shown the preferred form of construction for illustrating the principle of my invention, I have shown a helmet l0 formed with headbands comprising horizontal strips of textile, leather, canvas, plastic or other material I I which may be connected by stitching, or other means wellknown to those skilled in the art, to vertical strips I2 similarly made of textile, leather, 'canvas,

. plastic or other material.

In the horizontal strips II I have shown in the preferred form,inserts I3 of elastic foraccommodating the helmet to heads of different sizes and shapes. At the top of the helmet there may be a reinforced centerpiece of cloth, leather, canvas, felt, or other material I l, with or without cotton or other padding. The centerpiece forms a headrest and is connected by the vertical strips I2 to the headbands I I.

Reflectors l5 may be secured to the horizontal strips II, or the vertical strips I2, and may be made of colored glass or stones cut with facets, of the type now in use for road markers, on bicycles, etc. These may be of various colors or any color desired. These reflectors may be formed with shanks I511 and retaining heads [5b to be slipped into slits I50 in the helmet strips and retained therein.

There is, also, provided a chin strap I6. Supported by the centerpiece l 4, by stitching or otherwise, as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art, is a strip of metal I! bent in U-shape and flanges Ila, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, having an aperture It! to receive a pin I9, which also extends through apertures 20 in the ears 2| of a flashlight holder or saddle 22 provided with straps 23 for securing flashlights of various sizes. Washers 24 on pins I9 are provided between which bear under tension springs 25 to hold the flashlight in any position to which it may be adjusted, as will be clear from Figs. 3 and 4, respectively. The pins may be riveted or otherwise provided with retaining heads Isa.

The pin I9 is located slightly beyond center and to the rear of the flashlight holder so that the light may be closer to the work and may have a greater area of display.

It will be manifest from the foregoing that the flashlight holder being under tension, the

flashlight may be turned to any position on its I pivot and will remain in that position because of the tension under which the device is held. It will, also, be evident that the helmet which is adjustable to Various shapes and sizes of heads will reflect light from the headlights of any approaching car in such a way that the reflectors will readily catch the attention of any approaching driver.

With this arrangement, the users hands are free to make the desired repairs with practical security against being run down by an approaching driver; at the same time, the work will be lighted without requiring a hand to hold the light.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into efiect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come Within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure b Letters Patent is:

1. In flashlight supporting headgear, the combination, which comprises, a plurality of spaced substantially parallel headbands, a centrally disposed inverted saucer-like element forming a headrest spaced from the uppermost of said headbands, transverse and longitudinally extending substantially parallel headbands, a centrally dis posed inverted saucer-like element forming a headrest spaced from the uppermost of said headbands, transverse and longitudinally extending 4 strips connecting said headbands and headrest, a centrally disposed tongue extending upward from the upper surface of the headrest, a flashlight supporting saddle U-shaped in cross section having downwardly extending ears intermediate of the ends, straps on the upwardly extending ends of the saddle for holding the flashlight in place, a pin pivotally mounting the saddle through the ears thereof on the tongue of the headrest,,a spring on the pin frictionally holding the saddle in relation to the headrest, and a chin strap having a buckle therein with the ends of the strap separated and attached to the lowermost headband at a plurality of points.

ARNOLD J. OSTLI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name I Date 1,513,237 Green Oct; 28, 1924 2,254,966 Lang Sept. 2, 1941' 1,749,998 Collins Mar. 11, 1930 1,901,180 McBride M94514, 1933 1,444,249 Kenneth Feb 6, 1923 1,772,439 Garbs Aug. 5, 1930 1,318,850 De Yong Oct. 14, 1919 1,540,372 Sears June 2, 1925 731,908 Johnson June 23, 1903 

